Eric Massa for Congress

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Eric's Position on Taxes and Money Management

Fiscal policy under the Bush Administration is nothing less than an organized assault on the middle- and working-class. With one hand they gave to the rich when no one was looking, and with the other they cut programs for the poor, the working and middle class, and veterans. And they've salted the land with hidden taxes that make it all possible. This is a sham, it runs contrary to American values, it's just plain wrong -- and it's going to be hard work to undo the damage.

My promise to voters:
If you send me to Washington, I'll work to hold down taxes and restore fiscal sanity.

Here are my priorities:

Balanced budget. My wife, Beverly, and I are lucky enough to own a house, and we have a family. We earn money, and we spend it. One thing I know for sure: if I took in money the way the Federal government does, and spent it the way they do, my bank would shut me down in a heartbeat.
PAYGO. The pay-as-you-go rule, instituted by President Clinton and abandoned by the formerly Republican-controlled Congress, requires that new spending or tax changes do not add to the federal deficit. New proposals must either be "budget neutral" or offset with equal savings elsewhere.
Middle-class tax relief. From 2000 to 2006, Congress and the Administration shifted the tax burden overwhelmingly from corporations and the super wealthy onto the middle and working class. They gave enormous tax breaks to their big donors, and cut programs for the middle and working class across the board -- in education, veterans' benefits, Medicare and Medicaid, and a host of other areas.
HIDDEN TAX reform. Republicans in Washington have funded their irresponsible money management with a shell-game that most of us never see: "taxes" that eat away at our money day after day. Here's a sample of the hidden taxes I'll be working to eliminate:
- Health Tax: Our current dysfunctional health insurance system leaves 46.6 million Americans uninsured, and they get their health care in the most expensive and ineffective way possible: at the Emergency Room. Who pays for it? We all do -- in higher costs, higher premiums, and poorer coverage. Let me say this again: We're already paying for it, right now. This is an enormous hidden tax, on businesses and workers. There are better ways to manage health care, better ways to provide quality health care for all Americans.
- Veterans Tax and Widows Tax: Disabled veterans and their survivors who also get Social Security pay a whopping financial penalty. For survivors it's the "Widow's Tax,"and for veterans it's called "concurrent receipts." These penalties should end -- now. See my 'Veterans' platform.
- Toddler Tax: Our national debt is almost $8.5 trillion dollars, with interest piling up. To see something really scary, look at the "debt clock" at Ed Hall's Web site, www.brillig.com. Our children and grandchildren, yours and mine, will be left holding the bag. That's a massive tax -- over $30,000 per child -- on every toddler in the country.

Articles

AMT Fight Previews Tax Showdown from The Wall Street Journal on Dec 22

Congress completed its session and left Washington this past week, but not before passing legislation to keep taxpayers from facing a bigger tax bite as a result of the alternative minimum tax, or AMT.

Democrats and Republicans engaged in a weeks-long standoff that threatened to derail the annual AMT "patch" because of differences over whether Congress should make up the lost revenue. Without the legislation, some 25 million taxpayers would have faced an average $2,000 increase in their tax bills next year, but the bill will add $50 billion to the national debt. Rather than risk infuriating millions of taxpayers, House Democrats eventually retreated from demands that Congress raise taxes to offset the cost of the patch.

The debate over how Congress should pay for lower taxes foreshadows a bigger battle that looms: whether Congress should make permanent President Bush's 2001 tax cuts.

Full Story

Kuhl pushing for tax relief, but votes against fix from Hornell Evening Tribune on Dec 16

By ROB MONTANA - SPECTATOR EDITOR
Published: Saturday, December 15, 2007 8:57 PM CST

The alternative minimum tax was devised in the late 1960s as a way to make the richest of the rich pay their taxes.

The problem arose when the decision was made not to adjust that for inflation, resulting in increasing numbers of people being caught in the AMT web. Congress has traditionally taken care of the matter by approving temporary fixes to prevent that from happening.

That has hit a snag this year, as the potential for as many as 25 million people, many of them in the $75,000-$200,000 income bracket, to see an average tax increase of $2,000.

Congress has not been able to come to an agreement on a bi-partisan bill that keeps that from happening due to the $50 billion in lost revenue that would result from the fix....

Full Story

News

Randy Kuhl votes to raise our taxes... Kuhl moves to protect millionaires' off shore tax shelters
Nov 12

CORNING, N.Y. - On Friday, Randy Kuhl once again rubber stamped George Bush's agenda to raise the taxes of middle-class Americans by opposing the Temporary Tax Relief Act of 2007 (HR 3996). This bill is estimated to reduce taxes for over 50,000 taxpayers in the 29th Congressional District according to the Citizens for Tax Justice. In addition, the bill would close some of the famous George Bush millionaire loopholes which have allowed millionaires to put their money in off shore tax shelters. Once again, Kuhl and all Congressional Republicans have put the greed of millionaires above the needs of working families.

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